Short-handed Fever looking for more fight vs. 0-5 Sun
The Indiana Fever will look for a better result as they deal with the absence of superstar Caitlin Clark when they host the winless Connecticut Sun on Friday in Indianapolis.
With the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year sidelined due to a strained left quad, the Fever struggled to find their footing and dropped an 83-77 decision to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
Indiana's Sophie Cunningham labeled the loss a "gut punch," while fellow guard Kelsey Mitchell continued the fight analogy.
"We weren't sharp enough to be a contender for anything ," Mitchell added, per ESPN. "I think getting punched in the mouth early is humbling, because it shows where we need to be."
Offseason acquisition DeWanna Bonner scored a team-high 21 points for the Fever. The six-time All-Star signed a one-year contract with Indiana after spending the previous five seasons with Connecticut.
Sydney Colson scored four points in 31 minutes while starting in place of Clark, who missed a regular-season game for the first time in either her professional or collegiate career. Clark is expected to be out for at least two weeks after sustaining the injury in Indiana's 90-88 setback to the New York Liberty on Saturday.
The Sun won't feel sorry for the Fever. Connecticut fell to 0-5 for the first time since the 2020 season after dropping a 109-87 decision to former UConn star Paige Bueckers and the previously winless Dallas Wings on Tuesday.
"Until we understand what we're capable of doing and not capable of doing, we will play like that," Sun coach Rachid Meziane said, according to the Hartford Courant. "I've said many times that we have to play as a team, and playing as a team is both sides offensively and defensively. ... At the end of the day, we didn't put our heart on the court. We didn't make the effort to just have a chance to compete."
Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles scored a season-high 27 points and Marina Mabrey added 19 in the loss against Dallas.
Mabrey is questionable for Friday's game due to an ailing right quad.
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